July 27, Wehr Nature Center at 8:30am
9701 W College Ave, Franklin WI
Parking Fee $5 per vehicle, $4 for veterans and people with disabilities
Pay inside Nature Center. Better yet become a Friends member and park for free (starts at $35 annually)

Wehr Nature Center sits in Milwaukee County’s 220-acre Whitnall Park. Trails lead through woods, grasslands, along a creek, and around Mallard Lake. As Wisconsin Metro Audubon Society’s home park, there are many eBird lists here. The lake attracts herons and shorebirds, while the creek and waterfall area draw photographers seeking shots of warblers. Additionally, there are Tufted Titmice, as well as a nesting Broad-tailed Hawk.
Also in Whitnall is Boerner Botanical Gardens, a golf course and a beer garden. Just east of 92nd Street is Magnan Woods. And if that wasn’t enough eBird hotspots, Whitnall sits between Root River Parkways #7 and #8. 

Website: https://www.friendsofwehr.org/
eBird site:https://ebird.org/hotspot/L301972?yr=curM&rank=lrec
Trails: Boardwalks, grass, and wood mulch trails. All-terrain wheelchair available with reservations
Restrooms: In nature center

Join us! Walks are free and open to all levels of birders

Subscribe! Each week, you’ll receive an email with where we’ll be birding next. Posts may go to your “Social” folder if using gmail

Milwaukee Birding News:

Purple Martin Banding. Last week Lake Michigan Bird Observatory and bander Dick Nikolai opened a Purple Martin Banding session to the public. TMJ4 story on the day HERE

Tired of Angry Birds? Try Birdwise by Cornell. Bird quizzes drawing on the Macauley Library picture catalog allow for LOTS of ID practice. Quiz on families, locations, seasons, or create a custom quiz. https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/birdwise/

Even Small Natural Spaces Matter for Birds. Yard rain gardens, hedgerows, and public swale gardens all help absorb rainwater and provide excellent food and cover to a variety of birds, butterflies, frogs, and other animals. The presence of these small, natural areas contributes to a healthy ecosystem and provides us with the delights of birds, fireflies, and natural plantings. We have a chance to help preserve one of these small natural areas in Whitefish Bay’s Cahill Park. Learn more about the project and send an email to village leaders. Thanks to Charlotte C for identifying, documenting and mobilizing to save this bit of wild!

Report dead birds to WI DNR. As we know Avian flu is spreading through duck flocks and other species. Help DNR track the virus by reporting numerous sick or dead birds on their website: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/WildlifeHabitat/wildlifehealth

Sundays Milwaukee Birders
Location and time varies – see this week’s location above.
Free walks – open to all levels of birders

Sundays 8:00am
Wisconsin Metro Audubon Society Bird Walk (WMAS)
Wehr Nature Center 9701 W College Ave. Mix of mulched, wooded, grass and boardwalk paths. Follow WMAS on Facebook for additional walk announcements

Second Sundays 8:00-10:00am Birding at Lakeshore State Park with Milwaukee Birders. Meet at the south park entrance. See Friends of LSSP for details. Walking on paved surfaces, maybe some uneven, grassy paths but can avoid those. Portapotty always open and Discovery World restrooms after 9:00. All ages and abilities welcome.

Second Saturdays 8:30-10:30 Havenwoods
6141 N Hopkins St, Milwaukee
Join Milwaukee Birders at Havenwoods. State park sticker NOT needed. Meet in front of the building (Restrooms available). Binoculars available to borrow. Flat trails go along gravel, wood, grass and mulched paths. Walk wind through grassland, woods, along shrubby borders and to a pond. Really nice variety of birds. https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/havenwoods

Third Saturdays, 8:00-9:15 Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
1111 E Brown Deer Rd, Bayside
Loop through woods, grasslands and around Mystery Lake for a variety of habitats. Free, registration required https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/calendar/

Check out Chirp Chat episodes by Xcaret Nuñez. It’s all about birding Milwaukee area on WUWM 89.7 last Wednesday of the month

FIND A LOCAL BIRD CLUB
They have FREE, (near) monthly meetings and field trips
– Join them all –

Upcoming Area Bird Talks & walks Registration and fees:

Have a birding event to share? Let me know, email us on the Contact Page

july

Birding Kozciusko Park with KK River Neighbors in Action sponsored by BIPOC Bird Club
Sunday, July 27
Led by Rita Flores-Wiskowski, details at https://www.bipocbirdingclub.org/events/kk-river-neighbors-b8cfn

Urban Bird Hike at Lakeshore State Park
Sunday, July 27 from 4:00-5:00pm (South Entrance)
Lakeshore State Park is home to over 70 native and migratory species of birds, and the spring is an excellent time to spot some of our returning friends! Join us on a morning hike to learn the basics of bird watching and seek out some of these beautiful species. Each bird hike is unique as migration causes our residents to change throughout the year. All ages and abilities are welcome, meet at the park’s south entrance. We recommend bringing your own binoculars, but a small number are available to those who need them. Free, No Registration. Please inquire by June 26 to reserve a pair! Coordinates to the meeting point are 43.029180, -87.895858.

AUGUST

Becoming a Better Birder: Behavior at Urban Ecology Center
Saturday, Aug 9
Details and registration: https://www.urbanecologycenter.org/calendar/event?id=2781

Noel Cutright Bird Club Field Trip: Breeding Season at Horicon Marsh
Saturday, Aug 9 at 6:00am
Join Cutright Bird Club coordinator Carl Schwartz and others on a breeding season/early shorebird migration field trip to Horicon Marsh. Special  focus will be on finding any recent eBird rarities as well as sorting through an assortment of recently fledged ducks, rails, herons, bitterns, pelicans and terns, as well as shorebirds already returning from Arctic breeding grounds. We will be on the lookout for resident Whooping Crane and Black-necked Stilt fledges. We will canvass as many local hotspots as time and weather allow, e.g., Old Marsh Road, Main Dike Road, Ledge Road,  the Auto Loop Road, Highway 49, Marsh Haven.

The meet-up will be at 6:00 a.m. at the Park & Ride lot at the intersection of Highway 33 and Interstate 41 (just east of Allenton). We will carpool from there. Some hiking is likely so wear appropriate footwear and clothing; also bring a water bottle, energy snacks and sunscreen.
Email trip leader at cschwartz3@wi.rr.com to let us know you plan to join us.

“Good News for Two Endangered Birds” by the DNR’s Davin Lopez
Wednesday, Aug 13 at 7:00p.m.
in person @ Riveredge Nature Center and via Zoom
Davin will be talking about the Kirtland’s Warbler and Whooping Crane restoration efforts that he leads in Wisconsin.

To join meeting via Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85904371903?pwd=Fa2rxtxFK5y9KtYfejZxmfCCXmmnNv.1 Meeting ID: 859 0437 1903 Passcode: 551618

WMAS’s Hawk ID Workshop with Steve Holzman
Saturday, August 16 at Wehr Nature Center
Join WMAS as we learn from Steve Holzman, Vice President of Wisconsin Society for Ornithology (WSO). He will discuss birds of prey, particularly hawks of Wisconsin, and provide highlights of Wisconsin’s hawks, offering details on observing and identifying these majestic raptors. We will gain skills in recognizing these birds in flight, preparing us for the fall migration and World Migratory Bird Day on October 11-12. Optional Bird Walk will be available after the program.
Details: https://wisconsinmetroaudubonsociety.org/programs/ Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScf9Z93nOTtYHD0MvTU2qN7MRj9NKUOfUBwUovpy6L-K0jQAQ/viewform

Beginner Birding at UEC Riverside
Saturday, Aug 16
Details and registration: https://www.urbanecologycenter.org/calendar/event?id=2701

** Follow Bird City Milwaukee on Facebook!

Milwaukee parks that need birding this week

The county needs eBird records throughout the year for every park and natural area. Every week there are priority parks needing eBird lists. A park could be a priority because no surveys have been done for that week. Alternatively, it could be prioritized because there are surveys, but MKE Parks suspect more species might reside there than previously identified.

We can help MKE Parks! Pick a priority park, go bird, eBird it and note time spent there.

Based on the spreadsheet MKE Parks create, Wisconsin Metro Audubon Society (Thanks Colleen!) curates suggested locations based on accessibility to the property and availability on the ebird hotspots tool. Please track your time spent! At the end of the year WMAS provides hours to the county.
Follow Wisconsin Metro Audubon on Facebook for their weekly park posts.

Note- even if it’s already been birded this week, going another day or even a different time of day helps. The parks department wants a number of surveys for each park. Birding more than once in a week is very helpful!

Find a park and a park map: https://county.milwaukee.gov/EN/Parks/Explore/Find-a-Park

And our Waukesha Parks…

Share your ebird list with their ebird account: WaukeshaCountyBirding

JULY bird surveys needed at these locations- all are ebird hotspots

• Berg Property – free – address S102W33451 CTH LO should get you there or very close.
• Ashippun Lake (at the boat launch, no fee required)
• Ice Age Trail- Monches segment
• Monches County Park (pass or daily fee)
• Naga-Waukee Park (pass or daily permit fee required)
• New Berlin Recreation Trail – bike path from Greenfield Park to Waukesha!
• Mukwonago Park (pass or daily permit fee required- note they have camping!)
• Muskego Park (pass or daily permit- note they have camping!)